Pill Bugs & Sow Bugs [AKA Woodlice (sing. Woodlouse), Isopods (Isopoda)]

Many people are surprised to learn that Isopods are terrestrial crustaceans.  These common backyard bugs feed on decaying plant materials are are very easy to care for in captivity.  They prefer moist environments.  If you go out into your backyard at night with a flashlight you will find many of them foraging around.  Most people are familiar with the common gray forms, though some pill bugs have splotches of yellow on their plates (see below).  Sow bugs come in nearly every shade of the rainbow, ranging from Dwarf Whites to Maroon Pygmies to oranges and pinks.

Pill bugs are the ones that roll up into balls and have hard, often glossy plates.  Sow bugs are flattened and cannot roll up.  Marine isopods also exist, some of which live on whales.